Prabowo Instructs Indonesian Schools to Teach French in Macron's Presence

President Prabowo Subianto has instructed all schools in Indonesia to teach French to students, citing future global developments. He made the announcement during his visit to the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday, 28 May 2026, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I have now instructed that all levels of schools in Indonesia must learn French, looking at future global developments,” Prabowo said.

Prabowo noted this was his third visit to France. He had previously visited Paris on 23 January 2026 after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and again on 14 April 2026 following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

“Thank you for the warm and respectful reception extended to me and my delegation. I am grateful; this year alone, I have visited France three times,” Prabowo said.

Prabowo highlighted Indonesia’s honour of being invited to participate in last year’s Bastille Day parade on 14 July 2025. “This is a great honour for us,” he said. “We may be the first Asian nation to take part in a European parade,” he added.

According to Prabowo, Indonesia-France relations are at their best. He thanked Macron for the strong ties. “I told His Excellency that Indonesia-France relations have never been better. We are grateful for and respect President Macron’s leadership,” he said.

Prabowo also praised Macron’s international leadership, noting shared positions between the two nations. “President Macron’s leadership is evident globally; he consistently takes firm, positive stances aligned with French Republic principles. On several issues, Indonesia and France share similar views,” he stated.

He mentioned strong bilateral cooperation in defence, science, technology, and education. “Our bilateral relations are excellent, thanks to President Macron’s direct support. Defence and science-tech collaboration are strong; in education, we aim to deepen ties further,” he added.